What Fueled Christianity’s Explosive Growth?

Jesus was born, lived and died in an obscure part of the Roman Empire. The vast majority of the world didn’t know or care that He came to breath our air and purchase our redemption. Since there were no printing presses, telegraphs, radio, television or social media apps, news crept along at walking speed. It’s really a wonder that His story escaped the confines of Palestine at all.

So, how did the news spread from a group of peasants who lived in Hicksville and who proclaimed that a criminal executed by the Roman authorities was actually God’s Messiah? Sociologists and scholars have argued about this for centuries. Of course, we know that the Holy Spirit’s work is the ultimate answer. But how did the early Christians cooperate with the Spirit’s activity?

Many scholars have concluded that Christianity spread throughout the Empire mainly because Christians loved their neighbors. For instance, starting in 165 AD a series of devasting smallpox epidemics swept through the Roman Empire. Up to 30% of the population died. Pagans fled the contagious confines of city life, but Christians remained to care for the sick, including their pagan neighbors. Their acts of love were a tool that the Holy Spirit used to open the door for the rapid spread of the Good News throughout the world.

Nothing’s really changed in 2,000 years. Despite our technology and organizations, the Gospel still spreads from neighbor to neighbor. This weekend we are beginning a focused study of “Joining Jesus on His Mission” with Pastor Greg Finke. We’ll be discussing how we can follow Jesus more closely as He actively redeems souls. One. at. a. time.